No Yachts or Airplanes in Abramovich's Income Declaration

Billionaire Roman Abramovich owns nine mansions in four countries, seven apartments and shares in seven companies, but no yachts and no airplanes, according to an official income declaration.

The declaration, published earlier this week on the web site of the Chukotka elections commission, also says Abramovich holds $115 million in cash in 22 bank accounts, which earned him interest payments of $4.9 million.

Abramovich has been the speaker of the Chukotka legislature since 2008 after serving as the region's governor for eight years. He is up for re-election as an independent candidate in March.

The sums are a trifle compared with the billionaire's total wealth, which was estimated at $17.1 billion earlier this week by Finans magazine.

Abramovich, who made his fortune in the oil industry in the 1990s, has acquired considerable fame for spectacular spending. Media reports said over the years that his ship fleet includes the Eclipse, the world's longest motor yacht at 162.5 meters, and the 115-meter Pelorus.

He is also known to fly in a Boeing 767 wide-body liner and a number of helicopters that can land on his boats.

But these items do not appear on Abramovich's declaration published for next month's regional elections. Instead, it lists under "means of transport" seven cars, including two BMWs and one Mercedes limousine.

His spokesman John Mann said Wednesday that the list, submitted in December, was fully compliant with the law. "This declaration is in full accordance with the questionnaire that must be answered by each candidate," he said, adding that the questionnaire for the candidate does not specifically ask about boats and planes.

"This will help journalists to stop repeating false information about Mr. Abramovich's property," he said referring to recent media reports that Abramovich bought villas in Austria, Tuscany and elsewhere.

The declaration does not provide information on the real estate holdings other than their size and location, but still indicates that Abramovich's property ranges from a humble 283-square-meter abode in Anadyr, capital of Chukotka, to a massive 2,421-square-meter residence in the Moscow region. Apartments in Britain and the United States are also mentioned.

Among the most valuable are Abramovich's French properties, which show up in the declaration as three items with 372, 590 and 910 square meters each. The list includes Chateau de la Croe in the Riviera, once home to the Duke of Windsor after his abdication from the British throne in 1936.

In 2009, Abramovich made headlines when he bought a 70-acre estate on St. Barthelemy, a French island in the Caribbean, for reportedly $90 million, making it one of the most expensive private homes ever sold.

The list of his companies ranges from the Chelsea Football Club, bought by Abramovich in 2003, to obscure holding companies like Wotton Overseas. Abramovich's most well-known company, Millhouse, does not appear because it is an asset management firm, Mann said.

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